Creating its own carwash conveyor belt technology, with help from a local firm, has elevated PureMagic Carwash’s Farragut location to a special status nationwide.

“Other operators from around the country have asked for their very own PureMagic conveyor belt,” Jim Rooney, owner, said about the invention helping his company earn the prestigious “Innovator Award” during Knoxville Chamber Pinnacle Business Awards Friday, May 12. “We’ve been selling them around the United States. Really special.”

Opening his newest PureMagic at 11133 Kingston Pike in Farragut last November, Rooney said about the new technology, “We actually designed it, manufactured it and engineered it ourselves.

“I have an engineer on staff [Corey Joslin, also director of operations], he designed and engineered it … and we hired an engineering firm here locally, Innovative Designs, to help us make sure that what we were thinking was in fact going to work once we got the drawings,” Rooney added. “We started working with local suppliers. … We manufactured it, assembled it at our shop and brought it over to Farragut and dropped it in.”

“This new carwash model is the area’s first full-service carwash that utilizes a 12-foot wide rubberized conveyor belt, transporting employees and vehicles down the conveyor, similar to a moving sidewalk,” a Chamber press release stated. “… It removes the barrier between the customer and their vehicle, so that the vehicle is always in view of the customer.”

PureMagic also has locations along Lovell Road just outside of Farragut, Lenoir City, Fountain City and Alcoa.

“We have been a part of the Knoxville community for many years, and we are so honored to receive this Pinnacle Award,” Rooney said. “It means a lot to our local business.

“It was an incredible experience and it was just an incredible moment for our entire company,” he added. “Very honored.

“And it was largely due to the success we’re having in Farragut. The award was for innovation, and the definition of the award fits what we’ve done in Farragut very well, which was basically apply new technology in a creative, innovative way. And Farragut is the epitome of that.”

Never resting on his success, Rooney said, “It is important for me to always be traveling the country and the world, looking for new ways to bring innovation into our business that will help the customer receive a superior, luxury experience at a great price.”